Better With Two
by bexxy
Summary: The Cullens take a hunting trip for the day, while Jasper stays behind. Bella, bored on a Saturday while waiting for Edward to return, finds a close friend in Jasper Hale. Jasper/Bella friendship, Edward/Bella One shot, complete


**Summary:** The Cullens take a hunting trip for the day, while Jasper stays behind. Bella, bored on a Saturday while waiting for Edward to return, finds a close friend in Jasper Hale. (One shot/complete)

**Disclaimer: **Twilight characters are not mine, I'm not making any profit off of these fics. I'm just borrowing them from the very talented Stephenie Meyer to keep my creative outlet fulfilled ;)

**Author's Note:** I've always loved Jasper's character and wondered what it would be like if he and Bella had the opportunity to build on their friendship. Just a short piece while taking a break from my other Twilight story, Within You. Reviews are always welcome.

* * *

I lay in bed enjoying the warm breeze that swept through my window. There was no need to rush this morning; it was Saturday, which meant no school and Edward's "hiking trip" with his family. Charlie was off fishing for the day with Billy, I had the entire house to myself. I knew it would mean for a long day if I sat at home and long days without Edward were lonely. It was only 8:30am, I still had plenty of time to start my day and I made no attempt to hurry myself from the relaxed state I was in. I rolled over stretching and peered out my window. It was grey and overcast but the warm breeze softly blew from my room inviting me to play and enjoy the day.

I squinted my eyes as I noticed a plain white piece of paper sitting on top of Pride and Prejudice that was left on my rocking chair, gently being ruffled by light gusts coming through the window. My eyes were still filled with sleep but it was easy to make our the elegant script on the front that simply read "Bella."

Despite my desire to stay in bed as long as possible, the note held much more excitement and intrigue for me. I climbed out of bed and padded across the room picking the note up. The paper was cool and felt slightly damp from a mix of dew and wind coming into my room during the early morning hours. I traced my fingers over the letters of my name, outlining the beautiful writing. I opened it up to find a small note and a tiny smile played across my lips like a lovesick puppy dog. I almost rolled my eyes at how juvenile all this was sometimes. I returned my focus back to the paper.

_Dearest Bella,_

_I hope you slept well; I left just after 5am and tried not to wake you. It was hard when you were nestled in my arms. The family and I will be back tonight around 7pm. Esme already spoke to Charlie about you spending the night with Alice although I may have to interrupt after not seeing you all day. Jasper recently went on his own "hike" only a few days prior so he will be here if you need anything. He'll be calling you at 10am; I know you wanted to sleep in this morning. _

_Enjoy your day, I miss you already,_

_Love Always, Edward._

It was just after 8:30am now so I had plenty of time before Jasper phoned. I folded up the note along the original crease line and placed it in a small glass box that my mother had given me years ago. I used it as a keepsake box now, a place to store all my favourite and most important memories. I pulled out a picture of Edward and I, Esme had taken it just a few weeks ago and we were both totally oblivious to the camera. We were sitting at the piano and she had come up behind us and snuck a picture of Edward trying to teach me a few basic notes. I decided against keeping it in the box and placed it beside my bed up against the small lamp on my bedside table.

I made my way to the washroom and enjoyed a long hot shower. Nothing unwinds tight muscles in the morning than that. The water felt rejuvenating as it ran down my face and arms. I used a new bath lotion that my mother had sent me. Its scent was Jasmine and I actually really enjoyed it. It was refreshing and reminded me of summer. I hopped out the shower with a bounce, finally feeling ready and excited to start the day. The warm breeze once again came through the window, caressing my face as it gently blew tendrils of wet hair across my cheeks. I chose a pair plain khaki shorts and a plain navy tee shirt; I was going to enjoy this warmth while I had it. I ran a brush through my hair and decided to leave it down to dry, it should take long with the breeze. Perhaps I'll grab some cereal and sit outside on the porch.

Making sure I had the portable phone, I went outside with my cereal and a glass of orange juice to enjoy the sunless but warm morning.

I don't know how much time had passed, I was obviously off in my own little world but the telephone's abrupt raining caused me to jump in surprise. I peered through the window to see the time on the clock; 10:00am, it must be Jasper calling.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hi Bella, it's Jasper. How are you doing?" His voice was nice to hear, not like Edward's but comforting and familiar.

"Oh hi Jasper, I'm good. Edward said you would be calling me today."

"Is everything okay? Edward told me Charlie was out for the day and I just wanted to know if you needed anything." Jasper asked. He was so kind, I could tell from the sincerity in his voice that he would be calling to ask me this even if Edward hadn't told him to.

"No I'm alright, everything's good. There isn't much going on actually, it's sort of boring. But the weather is nice despite the lack of sun…good for you especially." I said with a smile. Days like these were perfect for the Cullens.

"Ah yes, that's true, isn't it? Perhaps I should take advantage of it! I have some errands to get done. May--" but he cut himself off.

"Jasper?" I asked. I thought we had been disconnected. There was silence for a moment.

"Bella if you don't have any plans, I'd love for you to join me. It's always more fun with two." He answered quietly. He was obviously feeling shy about asking me and rightly so. Jasper and I rarely ever spent time alone together. It's not that I had anything against him, I realize that he's extremely sensitive and I don't want to make anything difficult for him by being around, especially knowing my clumsy habits. I could see that he was truly making an effort so I agreed.

"Oh…thank you Jasper. That would be nice." I replied. "Should I drive over to the house?"

"No no, I'll pick you up. Will you be ready in 10 minutes?"

"Yep, sounds good. See you soon!" I said hanging up. I was nervous about spending time with Jasper. Not because I was scared of him, I wasn't at all. I don't know much about him or what to say…but I suppose this opportunity will help.

I went inside, quickly washed my breakfast dishes and grabbed a small purse before making my way outside to sit on the front porch. I had tossed on a pair of black flip flops, I hadn't been able to wear them much since I left Phoenix. It wasn't long before Jasper pulled up in a sleek black car. It was nice but not over the top, something simple that seemed to fit him. I couldn't tell you anything else about it, except that it had two doors an looked shiny. Somewhere Rosalie was smirking I'm sure. Maybe I'll have to get her to teach me some more about cars. Ugh maybe not. I'll take this time with Jasper first before I tackle that situation.

I walked over to the car and Jasper was out in a flash to greet me. He looked a bit nervous as well and he made his way over the passenger side to open the door for me.

"Thanks Jasper." I said getting in. These Cullens sure knew how to treat a lady, I'll give them that much! "So what's the plan today?" I asked trying to keep the conversation light.

"I need to pick up a new stereo for the living room." He answered. They already had one in there and I looked at questioningly. "There was an intense game of checkers last night between Emmett and I…I made a winning move and Emmett got so frustrated he whipped a piece across the room and it went through the stereo." I stared blankly at him, these things didn't surprise me anymore but still caught me off guard at times…like when someone you know can literally make a checker piece go through a solid object.

"Okay so new stereo. What else?" I asked.

"I need to find a new copy of Mozart's Requiem for Carlisle, can you guess why?" He asked with a smirk.

"Because it was in the cd player, of course." I laughed.

"Is there anything you want to do today?" Jasper asked as we pulled onto the highway. "We're going to Seattle if that's okay. They have a great electronics store there."

"No that sounds great. Can we stop at the bookstore?" I asked.

"Of course. I think there's one that's not to far from where I have to go." There was silence for a few moments. "You can turn the radio on if you want." He said. I was unsure if he wanted music because the silence was uncomfortable for him or if he was worried that it was uncomfortable for me. I pushed the button and the car filled with the warm sounds of jazz. I thought about this for a moment and decided that it fit Jasper nicely. I left it on enjoying the sounds.

"Oh sorry, I forgot my cd was in there. You can take it out." He said

"Oh it's fine. I like it." I told him.

When we reached Seattle, Jasper seemed to know exactly where he was going. I really shouldn't have been so surprised. We entered the large electronics store and once again, he immediately went over and picked up a big box which I'm sure had a state of the art cd and speaker system inside. We paid with one of the many credit cards I saw loaded into his wallet. Edward had tried giving me one of those once and I refused. He tried to tell me that I could have anything I want and that I would never have to see a bill in my life. My reply was that all I wanted was him. I glanced up at the clock on the wall; it was just before noon, still eight hours until Edward returned.

Jasper effortlessly carried the box outside to the car and placed it carefully in the truck. "Okay, we need a cd store. I think there's one a few blocks from here. Do you want to walk?" Jasper asked.

"Sure that would be nice." I replied. And it was, the streets were busy but not terribly crowded and we walked in comfortable silence most of the way only commenting on little things we saw in store windows. It was a small ways to go, only about five minutes from where we parked and the music store was already in sight. Jasper held the door open for me and went off to look in the classical section; I needed some new music to listen to, perhaps I could find something.

I searched through the rock/pop displays pulling out random cd's and had a small stack of "maybe's" beside me.

"What did you find?" Jasper asked as he came to stand beside me, Mozart cd in hand.

"Well I'm not sure. I'm a little bored with my collection right now and I want something new." I answered not looking up, continuing to dig through the shelves. Jasper picked through the small stack I had built up.

"Edward likes this band, he says they're good. How about this one?" He asked holding up a cd. That one did look tempting and I recalled Edward mentioning their name in passing. I hadn't been able to pick anything out yet so I took the one from Jasper's hand nodding in agreement. We both took our finds to the counter and paid before heading outside again.

"The bookstore's across the street, do you mind if we go in quickly?" I asked.

"Not at all, maybe I can find a good book. I've been having trouble sleeping at night…" Jasper said with a sly grin. I giggled at his joke as we entered the small store. "What are you looking for?"

"I'd like to get a recipe book for baking. Dad asked if I would bake some muffins and stuff, I guess there's a staff party coming up at the station." I answered skimming through the colourful displays of various cookbooks. I grabbed one off the shelf and flipped through it deciding it was what I needed. "Do you still want a book Jasper? I can help you find one if you want."

"Sure, what can you suggest?" I asked. We walked over to the fiction section and peeked through a few different books. "I read this one a few months ago…it's not very long but it has some great short stories in it." I said holding up a thin brown book.

"Thanks, I'll give that one a try. I'm going to go pay for this, you keep looking around and I'll catch up with you in a minute okay?"

"Sure, I'll be here…" I said completely engrossed in reading the review of a new book. After a moment I looked up to the register and Jasper was nowhere in site. My brow furrowed in confusion as I looked around the store; I couldn't see him anywhere then I spotted him crossing the street coming back into the store and walking over to me.

"Did you forget something at the cd store?" I asked.

"No, actually, I hope you don't mind but I bought you something." He said suddenly very shy. There was an air of excitement though and I could tell he really wanted me to have whatever he purchased. He handled me a small bag from the cd store and I reached inside it pulling out a single cd.

"It's the same jazz cd that was playing in the car. You said you liked it…now you can have your own copy." Jasper told me. The thought was terribly sweet and I was deeply touched at his gesture.

"Jasper that's so thoughtful, thank you. I can't wait to listen to it." I said enthusiastically. I really was excited with the gift. "Let me go pay for my cookbook and then we can get out of here. Can we quickly…er…can I quickly grab a bite to eat before we head back to Forks?"

"Absolutely. I saw a small café on the corner by the park, is that okay?" He asked.

"Sounds great!" I replied. After I paid for my book, we walked down to the corner where I ordered an iced tea and an egg salad sandwich. "The park isn't very busy, do you want to eat there?" Jasper nodded in agreement and we found a nice spot under a big tree to sit down. We had been sitting in silence for just a few moments when Jasper spoke.

"Bella…it's never my intention to purposely pick up on other people's emotions but I'm so attuned to you now it's nearly impossible…." I looked at him, my eyes clouded by confused. "Do you…Bella do you not like me?" He asked sadly.

I was startled by the sudden dramatic change in our day. I had to take a moment to allow what he just asked me to sink in. "I like you Jasper…" I said quietly.

"You were so hesitant this morning in the car…you were uncomfortable. Did I do something wrong?" He asked earnestly, searching my eyes for something to apologize for.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong Jasper. I'm sorry…I never meant to make you feel that way. It's just…" I hesitated. He nodded encouraging me to continue. This was difficult; I wasn't normally this open with anyone except Edward.

"I know how hard it can be for you around…humans." I almost grimaced at how I was starting this. I hoped he knew what I meant. "I'm around so much, I didn't want to cause you any pain or become a burden to you." His eyes widened and I raised my hand silently telling him that I needed to finish what I was trying to say. "I really like you Jasper, I do. I'm just scared that I'm causing you pain…"

"Oh Bella…" Jasper whispered. "I feel your confusion right now…and now I can clarify what exactly those feelings are for. I have to admit that I am relieved you don't hate me," he said with a grin. "But please don't be afraid of hurting me or making things hard. I'm spending more and more time around you and it's making things so much more easily. Like Edward, I would never ever in my entire being want to harm you. You are part of us Bella, you're part of the Cullen family and you are very important to me." He said awkwardly. I was at a loss for words. I was comforted hearing Jasper's speak like this, my fears of him not liking me put to a rest and knowing that it was steps for both of us to reach this comfort level and friendship.

"Thank you Jasper…I've head a really nice time today. I hope we can find time to do this again." I said. I meant it.

"Of course, I've really enjoyed myself as well. We'll have to make sure to plan another road trip." He replied grinning. "It's just after three, should we start the drive back?" I nodded.

"Only if we can listen to the jazz cd in the car." I said. Jasper laughed offering me his hand and helping me up.

"Definitely Bella."

Later that evening, Jasper told me he had to set up the cd player and then do some work out in the garage. He led me into the kitchen and said I was welcome anything in there. They only stocked up on food because of me. I thought that was silly. Jasper went off to do his tasks so I started pulling some noodles and sauce out of the cupboards to make some pasta. Cooking in this kitchen was different, everything was much larger and the pots and pans were beautiful to work with. Not surprisingly of course since Esme only used them for me. I still marveled at how much of an amazing cook she was all things considered.

After finishing my meal, I washed up the dishes and took my days purchases up to Edward's bedroom. I opened the cd I bought and the one Jasper surprised me with. Deciding to listen to the jazz cd, I carefully placed it in Edward's elaborate cd player and let the sounds of piano and heavy strings come over me. It was melodic and sensual and I closed my eyes as I sat against the wall attempting to absorb the depth of the music. I must have drifted off to sleep in that position because I could vaguely make out the muffled voice of an unmistakable voice calling my name.

"Bella…Bella, wake up love…" The voice said softly. I could feel a hand on my check, a thumb gently brushing my eyelids. I urged my eyes to open and a beautiful but hazy image of Edward appeared in front of me. "If you were tired, you could have used the bed." He said with a chuckle.

"I was listening to a cd Jasper bought me, I was more tired than I thought." I responded, trying to stifle a yawn. Edward picked me up and carried me over to the bed where he climbed in beside me wrapping his arms around me. I rested my head on his chest and closed my eyes in contentment.

"Yes I heard you both had a day together. That was so kind of you Bella. Jasper has always had such a hard time trying to be around you and he wanted so badly to be your friend and have you in his life." Edward said as he placed a gentle kiss on the top of my head. "Thank you for doing that. Did you have a nice time?"

"I did. We went to the electronics store and the cd store, Jasper bought me a jazz cd. Oh and I also bought this!" I said scrambling to the end of the bed where I had placed the cd I bought. "I was looking for something new and Jasper said you liked this band. I thought I'd give the a try." I said flipping it over and looking at the back cover.

"Good choice." Edward agreed. I put the cd down and snuggled back up next to him. I gave another yawn and Edward laughed. "Sleep love, we all day tomorrow and I'll be here with you all night. Sweet dreams…" He said kissing me on the lips.

"Only of you…" I sighed as I drifted off to sleep.


End file.
